Mubarak Resigns and Turns Power to Egypt’s Military, Field Marshal Tantawi

Muslim Brotherhood
الإخوان المسلمون
Al-Ikhwān Al-Muslimūn

Egypt’s President Mubarak has reportedly resigned:

Mubarak resigns, hands power to the military

USA Today – Douglas Stanglin – ‎11 February 2011

Here is the full statement that a grim-looking Vice President Omar Suleiman delivered on Egypt state TV announcing President Mubarak’s resignation:

In these grave circumstances that the country is passing through, President Hosni Mubarak has decided to leave his position as president of the republic. He has mandated the Armed Forces Supreme Council to run the state. God is our protector and succor.

Update at 11:30 am ET: The White House says President Obama will make a statement on the Egyptian developments at 1:30 pm ET. Update at 11:27 am ET: Al-Jazeera correspondent Sherine Tadros, reporting from Tahrir Square…

The Muslim Brotherhood had earlier Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak and his Vice Presidential designee Omar Suleiman (see Muslim Brotherhood Rejects Egypt’s President and V.P.).

Someone else seems to be in charge now:

Hussein Tantawi, head of Egypt’s Higher Military Council

Reuters – Feb 11, 2011

Egypt’s Defence Minister Mohamed Hussein Tantawi is the head of the Higher Military Council that took control of Egypt after Hosni Mubarak resigned his post as president on Friday…* Tantawi holds the rank of Field Marshal and has served in the government of Egypt as minister of defence and military production since 1991 and a general commander for the armed forces since 1995.

* Tantawi has served in three wars against Israel….

* He was appointed deputy prime minister, in addition to his post as defence minister, after Mubarak sacked his cabinet in a failed attempt to calm mass protests on Jan. 29.

* His military background and seniority had led to speculation he could be a possible runner for presidency, though some analysts said he had limited support among the armed forces’ rank and file. http://af.reuters.com/article/egyptNews/idAFLDE7192I620110211

All of this is likely to end up with an interim government that ultimately will be replaced by some type of Islamic government that will ultimately support a pan-Arabic leader. The coming King of the South, apparently referred to as the Imam Mahdi and/or Caliph in various Muslim writings, is getting closer to rising up.

For the past couple of years I personally have wondered how a pan-Arabic entity would form–and I never considered that US-style democracy was the way. And over the past couple of years at least two pan-Arabic unions have somewhat formed. One is the Union of Mediterranean States which includes nearly all the Arab nations in somewhat of a pack with Europe. The other is the monetary union that the Gulf-oil states have been working on (on December 15, 2009 Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar announced the creation of a Monetary Council to come up essentially with their own currency and to get away from the US dollar).

The tie of religion, which has existed for centuries among most of the Arabs, has always been in the back of my mind. There have been supranational groups like the Taliban, Al Qaeda, Hamas, and the Muslim Brotherhood, but the time was not right for any of them to bring about pan-Arabic unity. The first three groups have tended to be considered too radical, while many have considered that the Muslim Brotherhood was not radical enough (though this seems to be changing). The Muslim Brotherhood, which was formed in Egypt in 1928, has long been banned in Egypt (which is why its members/leaders are sometimes jailed there).

As far as what the Muslim Brotherhood wants to accomplish, Wikipedia reports:

In the group’s belief, the Quran and Sunnah constitute a perfect way of life and social and political organization that God has set out for man. Islamic governments must be based on this system and eventually unified in a Caliphate. The Muslim Brotherhood’s goal, as stated by Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna was to reclaim Islam’s manifest destiny, an empire, stretching from Spain to Indonesia.

In today’s, TW News & Prophecy, LCG reported the following:

Amid current turmoil in Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Yemen, Sudan, and Lebanon, Jordan’s government is also in upheaval. Reacting to protests, King Abdullah II of Jordan fired his government two weeks ago, tasking his new prime minister with “quickly boosting economic opportunities and giving Jordanians a greater say in politics.” The new Prime Minister is a former Prime Minister (2005-2007) and former general who is pro-U.S. and also pro-Israel.

In reaction, the primary opposition group in Jordan, the Muslim Brotherhood, noted that the king’s “changes to laws affecting politics and public freedoms” are just cosmetic and are not “real” changes. The Brotherhood is also pushing for cuts to the king’s power (Associated Press, February 1, 2011).

Turmoil and unrest appear to be spreading like a virus across the Middle East. This region is becoming “ripe” for a strong leader to come on the scene–perhaps a future king of the South? God predicted through His prophet David, that a confederation of Arab nations would arise at the end of the age and would include Germany/Assyria–ultimately opposing the Israelite-descended nations (Psalm 83:1-8). This could be the turmoil from which comes a “semblance” of order in the Arab world.

One day soon Christ will return and set up a totally righteous government of peace, where all who work hard will have plenty to eat and will never again need to distrust their government. God speed that day!

To bring enough Arab nations together, I have felt that some type of “strongman” needed to rise up. One who Arabs would tend to respect. The time may be now and the Muslim Brotherhood may play an important role. The Muslim Brotherhood is is the world’s oldest and largest Islamic political group and has been called the “world’s most influential Islamist movement” (http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/2010/11/2010111681527837704.html)–though some other group could emerge or form.

We in the Living Church of God have long expected such a leader, as have many Arabs:

The supreme office of caliph, originally elective, became hereditary…Eventually…caliphs became figurehead or “puppet” leaders…Many Arabs…seek to re-create the political and theological unity of the early Islamic caliphate (The Arab World in Prophecy. Plain Truth, December 1979, pp. 9-10).

Al Qaeda named its Internet newscast, which debuted in September, ‘The Voice of the Caliphate.’…Kerem Acar, a tailor in central Istanbul {said} ‘…one day maybe my children’s children will see someone declare himself the caliph, like the pope, and have an impact’” (January 14, 2006). Indeed, a coming “Mahdi” whose arrival Muslims are expecting—in Bible prophecy known as the “King of the South” (Daniel 11:40–45)—will soon arise and have a dramatic impact on world events. This powerful Muslim religious leader will unite many of the more than one billion Muslims. He will pose a genuine threat to the coming European Empire, which will have to crush that threat in order to continue exploiting Middle Eastern oil to further its military ambitions. (Meredith RC. Prophecy Fulfilled: God’s Hand in World Affairs. LCG Booklet, 2007, pp. 16-17)

The timing seems to be right for such a leader to start rising up. The events in Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, and elsewhere seem to be setting the stage of the Arabic peoples to be willing to consider some type of confederation with a strong leader to represent them.

If protests continue in the Middle East, this could trigger other events which will lead to the King of the South gaining power (though Iran/Israel may play a major role).

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Is There A Future King of the South? Some no longer believe there needs to be. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Might this King be called the Mahdi? What does the Bible say?
The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What about the Imam Mahdi? What lies ahead for Turkey, Iran, and the other non-Arabic Muslims?
Africa: Its Biblical Past and Prophesied Future What does the Bible teach about Africa and its future? Did the early Church reach Africa? Will God call all the Africans?
Is There an Islamic Antichrist?Is Joel Richardson correct that the final Antichrist will be Islamic and not European? Find out.
Barack Obama in Islamic Prophecy? There is actually a 17th century Shiite prophecy that some believe that Barack Obama will fulfill that will lead to a rising up of Islam.